No. 10: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
DFW is the primary airport for the fourth-largest metro area in the U.S.
American Airlines operates its largest hub there.
60.4 million passengers used DFW in 2013.
Photo: American Airlines

No. 9: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
CDG is the primary entry point to France.
Air France operates its main hub there.
62.0 million passengers used Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2013.
Charles de Gaulle Airport is the main hub for Air France and the busiest airport in continental Europe. (Source: NASA)

No. 8: Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
Jakarta is the second largest metro area in the world.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport is the main hub for fast-growing Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air.
62.1 million passengers used Soekarno-Hatta Airport in 2013.
Lion Air is one of several Indonesian airlines based at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

No. 7: Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport jumped from No. 10 in 2012.
Emirates, the largest airline by international passenger traffic, has its main hub there.
66.4 million passengers used Dubai International Airport in 2013 – up from just 18.1 million in 2003!
Emirates’ rapid growth has catapulted Dubai International Airport to the No. 7 spot in the world. (Photo: The Motley Fool)

No. 6: Los Angeles International Airport
LAX is the main airport for the second-largest metro area in the U.S.
It has regularly been No. 1 in the world for origin and destination (i.e. non-connecting) traffic.
66.6 million passengers passed through LAX in 2013.
Planes on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

No. 5: Chicago-O’Hare International Airport
O’Hare Airport was the busiest in the world for many years.
Passenger traffic at O’Hare never recovered from the Great Recession, though.
66.9 million passengers used O’Hare last year.
Photo: USGS

No. 3: London-Heathrow Airport
Heathrow is the preferred airport for travel to London.
British Airways controls more than half of the takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow.
72.3 million passengers used Heathrow Airport last year.
London Heathrow is the main base for British Airways. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

No. 2: Beijing Capital International Airport
Each of China’s four top airlines have major operations in Beijing.
A new Beijing-area airport is under construction to relieve overcrowding at Beijing Capital Airport.
83.7 million passengers used Beijing Capital Airport last year.
Beijing Capital Airport is the main airport for Beijing and the second busiest in the world. (Photo: The Motley Fool)

No. 1: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Delta operates the largest airline hub in the world at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
Delta has nearly 1,000 daily departures in Atlanta.
94.4 million passengers used Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2013.
Delta operates the largest hub in the world at the world’s busiest airport. (Photo: The Motley Fool)

Foolish wrap
Once again, Atlanta was the busiest airport in the world in 2013.
However, several big airports outside the U.S. are gaining ground.
Delta customers in Atlanta have unrivaled flight options due to Delta’s large hub there.
Atlanta wins again!